Piper's Memories
by Doug2
Summary: Piper saves herself while in her old neighborhood and meets her former family. Please review.


Memories Rekindled 

Piper sat in her Jeep with her head leading on the steering wheel and her arms wrapped over her head.

"OOOOOOOO. That's just great! You're heading to the scrap heap if you stall out on me again," Piper yelled at her car.

"Rrrr-rr. Rrrr-rr. Rrrrrrrrrr. Click. Click. Click," murmured the Jeep as she tried starting it again

"Now you're a candidate for the crunchy munchy machine at the junk yard. Wonderful! Not only am I without wheels, I'm also lost!" Piper exclaimed talking to herself. "Lost in the city I only lived in for twenty-eight years. This neighborhood doesn't look anymore familiar than the dark side of the moon. OK, then. Got to call the auto club. And Leo. And the club and God knows who else! HOW CAN THIS DAY GET ANY WORSE?" cried out Piper at the top of her lungs to an empty car.

Piper pulled out her cell phone, but could not get anyone. No connections or sounds whatsoever. With each call she pushed the buttons harder and harder finally she threw it in the back seat in disgust.

"OOO! This not my day! Um, all right. Got to use someone else's phone," Piper put her bag over her shoulder and got out of the car nearly tripping over her seatbelt.

Running down the sidewalk was a little girl no more than two toddling along happily with no apparent adult supervision. She had short brown hair and hazel eyes was enchanted with her freedom.

"Ah, little girl. Little girl!" called out Piper. She kneeled down to speak to her. Now quietly and calmly and Piper spoke to the girl. "Hi. My, you're pretty. What's your name?"

"Bepa," she replied looking at Piper and giggling.

"OK, Bepa. Where you're Mommy? Is she around?" asked Piper sweetly.

The child enthusiastically agreed and pointed to a white Cape Cod house a couple of residences away.

"Can I meet her? I bet she'll be glad to see both of us," suggested Piper who took Bepa's hand.

Bepa again agreed enthisuaticly taking her hand and skipping along beside Piper.

"You are a friendly little one. You have a very pretty house there. Do you have any brothers or sisters?" asked Piper.

"Yep. A sista," she replied. As they passed between the two houses Piper felt a familiar cold chill down her back. Wheeling around on one foot she saw an orange-faced demon coming after her.

Whoosh! Piper froze him in his tracks. "Whoa! That was too close! Demon here who crossed my path, this deed you do will be your last. Right now I say and do tell, be swallowed by the bowels of hell," said Piper with a little melody in her voice.

Bepa just looked on as the ground opened up and swallowed him in a mass of smoke and flame. She just giggled and headed back to her house.

Piper smiled with satisfaction after performing a spur of the moment vanquish. "Nothing bothers you? Tough kid. Not bad if I may say so myself for the power of ONE. Let's ring this old fashioned door bell," said Piper.

A woman came to the front door and through the screen door she looked down yelling "Piper!"

Opening the screen Piper realized she was standing in front of her mother. As her eyes bulged out she looked done at Bepa. "Bepa? PIPER!" she thought. "This kid must have been me!"

"Piper? Aren't you in the back yard? Piper, oh my darling," exclaimed Patty picking her up. "Oh sweetheart! Mommy is so glad to see you. You mustn't run off like that!"

Then Patty turned to Piper. "Oh thank you. Where DID you find her?"

"AH, just skipping down the sidewalk," said Piper stiffly. Her whole body went rigid not knowing what to do here.

"I'm sorry. I'm Patty Halliwell," said the woman holding the younger Piper.

"Ah, Wyatt. Mrs. Marie Wyatt," said Piper leaving out her first name. "It is nice to meet you!"

"Again?" Piper thought to herself, "Again? This is how it can get worst. I'm back in history again."

"Would you like to come in?" asked Patty. "I can't say how much I appreciate you bringing my little Piper home, Marie."

"No, I got to go. Find a phone!" said Piper almost panicking.

"Please use mine. Come on in!" said Patty smiling sweetly.

"No, I don't think the party I'm looking for is at home. Yet," said Piper meekly.

"At least come in and have a cup of .." suggested Patty.

"Tea?" asked Piper who was in the need for something to sooth her nerves.

Patty opened the screen, "Absolutely!"

"I could use a little refreshment. Thank you. My, what a lovely home you have. Any more at home?" asked Piper looking around at things that brought back many memories.

"An older daughter. Four. She's in kindergarten this morning!" sad Patty putting little Piper down. "Go into your room and play, Piper."

"Probably running for class president by now," Piper said under her breath. She didn't want to run from her mother so what harm could one cup of tea do, thought Piper.

"I've regular Lipton's and that new herbal stuff the hippies use," explained Patty from the cupboard.

"Oh, I'll try the herbal stuff, eh Patty. Sound's good. So what does your husband do?" asked Piper.

"He's a salesman with a computer company. You know those funny little computers for homes?" asked Patty.

"Yup. Those will be popular someday and a lot of trouble. No sugar. You have any honey?" asked Piper.

"Sure. Isn't it great in it? I've always taken it that way. I've got some molasses cookies, too. Homemade!" said Patty

Piper couldn't ever turn down them. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't get them tasting exactly like when she was a kid. And then maybe your memories of childhood aren't as true as you might remember them to be. "Please! UMMMMMMMM!"

"Like it? Let me get you my recipe," said Patty happily helping out a good Samaritan.

"Sure. She sure is a happy child. Nothing seems to faze her," said Piper about her younger self.

"She is always thinking. Last week she got into the clothes hamper and lined up all the socks by color. Then she announces she made a flag. What an imagination! She is awful sweet. My little Piper," said Patty mixing up the tea.

Holding back a tear, Piper nibbling her cookie. "Very nice."

"So Marie. Where do you live?" asked Patty

"Definitely new to this area. Just got here in fact. How about you?" said Piper directing the conversation away from her.

"Five years here since we were married. Victor and I want a larger place. What does your husband do?" explained Patty nibbling on one of her cookies.

"Mine? Well, sort of an independent troubleshooter. I have a eh..disco in town. P3? Ever hear of it?" asked Piper.

Patty shook he head. "I don't get out much to clubs. My husband isn't in the city much. Being a mother is responsibility enough. And when they get bigger, I'll really have my hands full."

"Yep, you can expect that," said Piper quietly.

"Here's your tea. Sugar?" asked Patty.

"No, I'll have honey, if you don't mind?" asked Piper.

"Sure. I take mine that way sometimes, too. Adds a little pizzazz to it," said Patty tilting her head to one side looking strangely at her guest.

Piper sighed. "Imagine that. SO are you from around here?"

"Uh huh. I grew up over on Prescott Street where my mother lives," replied Patty stirring her tea.

"Um, good. See your mother often?" asked Piper.

"Almost every day. She's quite close to us. Especially after my stepfather just passed away," commented Patty looking down into her tea.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I know how you feel, I lost my mother when I was young," said Piper. Her heart was tugged reliving her own family's heartaches.

"You're sweet. He was my mother's fourth husband. Four times a widow. Still he was a very sweet man," commented Patty.

"My. Sounds like a strong woman. These cookies are great. Ummm. Pretty much a box cookie family at my house. My sisters and I are quite busy," said Piper.

"Isn't that the truth? Our lives are getting more and more complicated in the seventies, aren't they?" replied Patty.

"Yep," instantly replied Piper who was more thinking about the witchy side that she didn't really want to get into though her Mom must be involved in. "One of my sisters is still in school and the other works as a photographer for a magazine."

"Really? Which one?" asked Patty taking another cookie.

"I don't think you've ever heard of it," smiled Piper. Watch it, she thought, since 415 didn't even exist yet. "Oh, look at the time. I really do have to go. Uh, can I take a couple of those delicious cookies?" asked Piper pointing to the plate.

"Sure! I promised you that recipe!" said Patty looking very happy at a stranger liking her baking.

Piper slipped two into her purse as Patty wrote down the recipe.

"Here you go! And think you Marie. Piper is such sweet and energetic little child. She's a handful. Wait until Phoebe comes along, thought Piper.> If you ever get back over here, please stop it," said Patty showing some genuine affection for 'Marie.'

"I will try. Thank you for the tea and the recipe," said Piper. She looked at it and finally realized how her mother had baked them when she was a child.

"Good bye, Patty," said Piper shaking her hand. "Tell little Piper good-bye for me!"

"I will. Thanks again Marie. Bye-bye!" waved Patty as Piper walked down the walk.

Piper smiled and headed back toward the car. "That was pretty weird," thought Piper, "Having tea with your mother who's younger than you? Now how do I get out of 1973? Turning the corner she saw a tow truck with 2001 California plates lifting up her car.

"Wait, that's my truck!" called out Piper. "That's not a no parking spot!"

"PIPER!" called out Prue who was standing with Phoebe on the far side of the truck.

"Where have you been? The police just found your car this morning!"

"Clue me in here. Just how long have I been missing?" asked Piper shaking her head.

"Two days sweetie. Did you have amnesia or something?" asked Phoebe putting her hand on her head.

"Nope. Just dancing across those alternative timelines," sighed Piper.

"Could you be a little more specific?" asked Prue holding up on finger.

"OK. I got lost and found myself in our old neighborhood. But because of the state of my confusion, I didn't recognize it!" said Piper.

"And you weren't even four when we left it. You haven't been coming over here to think about life like I was doing at the lake, Piper?" asked Prue.

"Nope. Something sent me back to save my little self from a demon. Something or someone.." said Piper very perplexed.

"Which explains the time difference you had," suggested Phoebe.

In orbed Leo, "It was my bosses again. They sensed the demon Utex had gone back there to kill little Piper so they sent you to deal with it. Hi honey. Welcome back!" he said kissing her.

"Hello, Leo! Kiss again.> It would just have been nice to have gotten a call ahead of time. Mysteries were not my favorite novels. Romance was more along my line," said Piper.

"Yea, I can tell," said Phoebe quite amused.

"And I got to visit with Mom. She was quite relieved when I returned little Piper,"

explained Piper.

"You didn't tell her about us?" asked Prue a little worried.

"Of course not. We've had enough of these back thru the time thingies. I didn't even mention the demon that I vanquished ON MY OWN! You know I was a pretty spunky little kid back then," said Piper quite please with herself.

"Yes, you were," said Prue hugging her a bit. "So how was Mom?"

"Still Mom. Just a lot happier I think at that time still being with Dad and all," mused Piper.

"So you don't; need me, Miss Halliwell?" asked the wrecker driver.

"No thank you. Coming home Piper?" asked Phoebe

"I better get back. Bye, dear," said Leo first kissing her and then orbing out in white sparkles.

"Bye. Pheebs, I think you better come with me. I don't want to get lost around here again. Oh and here's a littlie remembering treat." Piper pulled out the cookies, "Moms molasses cookies!"

Prue bit in, "Still fresh. And so good. It brings back more memories."

"Well, let's just leave them there in the past. I've had enough time travel for a long time," sighed Piper.

"These are good. They just taste different than the ones Grams made," said Phoebe who didn't remember that much of her Mom's cooking.

"My kids are definitely going to be enjoying them. Coming Phoebes?" asked Piper hopping up into the Jeep that actually started this time.

"Right behind you," replied Phoebes.

And Piper put he car into gear as they headed back to Halliwell Manor in their own time.

THE END


End file.
